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Ep. #112: Britt Walford of Slint and Watter

Britt Walford is a world-renowned drummer who lives in Louisville, Kentucky. In the 1980s he played in notable bands like Squirrel Bait, Maurice, and, for a spell, in the Breeders. Walford is best-known though as a founding member of Slint who initially had a short lifespan but whose second LP, 1991’s “Spiderland,” is easily one of the greatest, most enigmatic American rock albums of the 20th century. “Spiderland” was recently reissued in a super deluxe, limited edition box set, prompting Slint to do a small run of American and Canadian shows. At around the same time, a new band featuring Walford and multi-instrumentalists Zak Riles and Tyler Trotter surfaced with a new album of their own. The band is Watter and their latest record is a sprawling, ambient, post-rock thing called This World, which is out now via Temporary Residence. Here, Britt and I discuss what the people of Louisville do with the birds, where the band Watter comes from, the bands Grails and Strike City, what goes on in Louisville and how more bands have been playing there lately, Watter and Krautrock and clicking together, Britt plays the drums while Tyler and Zak do other things, Britt came later, recording then songwriting, how Watter works live, Cluster, Tangerine Dream, and Can, how Britt was last in a band 20 years ago and it was called Evergreen, how he ends up joining established bands a lot, what he’s been doing outside of making music since Slint and Evergreen ended, how the end of Slint may have impacted Britt’s interest in starting new music projects, raising children and pursuing an undergrad degree, what college means, piano lessons and drums, parents do understand, Rock Against Racism in Louisville, starting something versus jumping in, the Misfits and Samhain and Kentucky and Will Oldham, 3,138 and what the numbers mean, shitting in a cup, familial influences, Watter is fun, younger people, Lance Bangs getting Slint to talk for the doc Breadcrumb Trail, Britt’s role in the “Spiderland” reissue, Slint bassist Todd Brashear managed the project, why Todd doesn’t play Slint shows and what that’s like, getting used to playing Slint songs, selling all of the box sets, how it came together, Slint archives, what Breadcrumb Trail taught Britt about Slint, Todd thought the band was nutty, working in Slint compared to working with other people, what mastering engineer Bob Weston did to make “Spiderland” sound better, mastering machines, the future of Slint, the future of Watter, the song “This World” and then it’s good night, captain.

Related links: temporaryresidence.com slintmusic.com vishkhanna.com

Watter

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News Podcast

Ep. #111: Hamilton Leithauser

Hamilton Leithauser is a very talented singer and songwriter who is best known for fronting the acclaimed New York City band, the Walkmen. Last year, the Walkmen announced they’d be taking an extended hiatus after releasing a string of wonderful albums. Before long, members of the band began releasing solo material, including Leithauser. His new album is the startling and wondrous Black Hours, a timeless star-studded pop affair that was released on June 3 via Ribbon Music, and has prompted him to tour including a stop at Hamilton, Ontario’s Supercrawl this September. Here, Hamilton and I discuss NPR’s Tiny Desk concert series, that time I saw the Walkmen play one of their last shows together in Halifax this past October, knocking a tooth out on a microphone, when work on Black Hours first began, why he made a record under his own name, who helped make this album a star-studded affair, the relationship between the conception of this solo record and the end of the Walkmen and why the band is taking a break, Frank Sinatra records, songwriting reversal, a nightclub, night time tone within the phrase “black hours,” Danzig, Self-Pity, growing up in Washington D.C. and seeing Minor Threat, Nation of Ulysses, Fugazi, and other Dischord Records bands, playing punk, working as a studio assistant at Inner Ear studios while Fugazi was recording Red Medicine, not making it into Instrument, being young and apolitical, loving the Make-Up and Ian Svenonius, the Cramps and the Modern Lovers, lead singers versus bands, Chain and the Gang, being in a band or being on your own, not sounding like the Walkmen, the new record’s weird storyline, the bizarre circumstance of the Walkmen’s “extreme hiatus,” trying new things but the Walkmen will likely be back, it’s fun to play, there are already new songs written but there was some writer’s block, working well with others, playing “Mr November” with the National, Hamilton playing Hamilton, Ontario, the song “The Silent Orchestra,” and then Hamilton out.

Related links: hamiltonleithauser.com vishkhanna.com

hamiltonleithauser

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Ep. #110: Josh Salter & Matt Peters of Monomyth

Monomyth is a really cool band from Halifax that make a hazy, gritty kind of pop music. Their washed out, psych-rock-tinged new album is called Saturnalia Regalia! and it’s out July 22 via Mint Records. They’re touring through Ontario and Quebec now, with NXNE shows in Toronto on June 18 at the Drake and Handlebar, a Guelph show at 32 Essex St. during Post-Fest, a Toronto show at Saving Gigi at 1:00 PM on June 21 and a Montreal show that night at Brasserie Beaubien. Back in April, Monomyth and I were both in St. John’s Newfoundland for the Lawnya Vawnya festival and singer/guitarist Josh Salter, drummer Matt Peters, and I found time to get together at the radio headquarters of Keep Station for a chat about the band and stuff. Here, we talk about how Matt’s elbows rattle Keep Station, what St. John’s is like, moose curry, Halifax is far away from Newfoundland, the East Coast Music Awards and No-cases, how to sleep on an airplane, it happens in Florida, Josh cruises with his dad, Josh is actually from Hubley while Matt is actually from Upper Tantallon and they’ve known each other since grade one, Josh’s dad has learned to party, little league of horrors, the Matt Peters Erection, Overlord Sinner and Windows 95 Media Recorder, the Halifax pop explosion, 1991: The Year Punk Broke, nü metal, the Burdocks and Dog Day and Special Noise, the importance of Sloan, musical democracy, Monomyth’s other drummer, Charles Austin and Psychic Fair, Mike O’Neill and Black Jesus, songwriting distinctions, shoegaze and My Bloody Valentine, the song “Pac Ambition” and Tupac Shkaur, making lo-fi Monomyth tapes, Joseph Campbell, bottlecap toss, the song “The Big Reveal,” and that just about wraps it up.

Related links: mmyth.bandcamp.com vishkhanna.com

monomyth

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